‘I’m made up my mind’: A month before Election Day, Ottawa voters line up to cast their ballots

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Two-year-old Bodi Gowrishankar calls it a “boat,” rather than a “vote,” but he’s already more familiar with the ballot box than most future voters his age.

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Gowrishankar joined his parents, Anchela Nadarajah and Vithuran Gowrishankar, on the first special early voting day of the 2022 municipal election in Ottawa.

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“Convenience” is a big part of the appeal of early voting for Nadarajah. “It’s like, easier, calmer, especially with a young child, plan around the schedule.”

Regardless of address, Ottawa residents can vote at any of the city’s nine locations every day through Tuesday, September 27, between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. Voter notification letters, if received, but not essential. Bring ID with your name and address, you don’t need a photo, but if you don’t have one, you can make a legal statement before a ballot is issued.

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“It’s about helping the voter and (making it) as accessible, efficient and easy as possible to get them to vote. That’s what we want,” he said. Michèle Rochette, municipal administrator of municipal elections.

Saturday “started off strong,” Rochette said, with lineups at designated special early voting locations increasing in number since 2018.

As for his requirement that voters commit to ballot options with a month to go before the election campaign ends, Gowrishanka felt no reservations. “I think the (candidates) got their point across pretty well,” he said.

Residents of the Kitchissippi district also found additional civic engagement in the opportunity for Bodi to cast his own “ballot”. The city election office is piloting a “Voters in Training” during special early voting days, allowing youngsters to mark ballots with their favorite things about Ottawa and write what they would do if they were mayor for a day.

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“It’s really cool,” Nadarajah said. “This is like our little family outing to do our civic duty. It’s good that we can include it.”

Rochette said the idea came from his staff, who were inspired by a similar initiative in Montreal. The election office has connected with school boards to engage them, and Rochette says one hope is that the program will encourage parents who might not otherwise vote to get out and do so, as well as its main goal of engaging and educating future voters.

Some voters who turned out Saturday said they jumped at the early voting opportunity because it fit better with their schedules. Others had decided who to support and saw no need to wait.

Ginette Brown, 77, was in the latter category. The Somerset district resident said waiting a month would not change her vote.

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“Because of what I see, what I read about people coming in, I knew early on which one I wanted.”

While she was determined about her votes for mayor, councilmember and school board member, her husband, Bill Brown, was caught off guard when the latter came up: He hadn’t looked at the school board member race. “I never thought of that,” he said with a laugh. Otherwise, she said that she would find out everything. I am decided.

An hour and 45 minutes after the special early voting, the election office said turnout had already surpassed 1,000 people.

Turnout-wise, Rochette saw the glorious weather working in her favor and potentially her decision to hold these voting days over the weekend. She offered people who would otherwise rush to vote on a weekday a chance to slow down and make it an event.

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There too there are guaranteed to be plenty of new faces around the council table, Rochette noted, with 10 of Ottawa’s sitting councilors opting not to run again. “People are probably engaged. A lot of important things are happening in the city.”

Following the special early voting days, the next in-person voting opportunities will take place at the early polls at resident-assigned polling locations on two Fridays, October 7 and October 14, followed by voting on the Election day on October 24.

Special Early Voting Locations

• François Dupuis Recreation Center, 2263 Portobello Blvd.

• St-Laurent Complex, 525 Côté St.

• City Hall, 110 Laurier Ave W.

• Greenboro Community Center, 363 Lorry Greenberg Dr.

• Minto Recreation Complex, Barrhaven, 3500 Cambrian Rd.

• Nepean Sportsplex, 1701 Woodroffe Ave.

• Michele Heights Community Center, 2955 Michèle Dr.

• Richcraft Recreation Complex, Kanata, 4101 Innovation Dr.

• CARDELREC Goulbourn Recreation Complex, 1500 Shea Rd.